SoS – Nettle Tea and Jan 2025 Veg Survivors

Olá, fellow gardeners, let’s raise a glass to a productive 2025.

I’m ashamed to say Ineglected my vegetable area and garden during November and December, and now I am paying the price with an abundance of weeds. I also discovered a few surprises, such as a yellow pepper that we used in the Christmas Day salad and a self-seeded black tomato plant that gifted me one perfect tomato that I will save for seeds. Back in October, I was horrified to discover that most of the black tomato seeds I had saved had turned mouldy on the tissue. I am hoping I have enough to at least seed a couple of plants

Nettle Liquid Fertilizer

During COVID-19, as many shops were closed and/or I lacked the courage to enter, I decided to make liquid fertilizer for my plants. I trawled the net for ideas. Banana peel, wood ash and nettle fertilizer seemed the most popular. I had bananas and wood ash, so I thought I’d try stinging nettles. The only problem> there were no nettles growing in our garden. Not one! I am not easily defeated, so armed with secateurs, industrial gardening gloves and a bag, I became a woman on a mission. I avoided people and searched the deserted wasteland in the surrounding area for stinging nettles. Yep, I eventually found a few and made my own nettle brew, which I liberally distributed around the garden.

Step forward a few years, and nettles sprout out of our ears. What the website failed to mention was that you needed to strain the liquid through fine muslin before feeding your plants so you didn’t scatter nettle seeds everywhere. Lesson learned.

What are the benefits of Stinging Nettle fertilizer?

Quote: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/nettle/nettle-as-fertilizer.htm

A nettle leaf plant food will provide:

• Chlorophyll
• Nitrogen
• Iron
• Potassium
• Copper
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Calcium

The stinky nettle brew I made back in November is now ready for use.

Before I using I strain through a fine weave bag to catch the seeds etc

I then store it in a sealed bottle. Before watering the plants, I dilute it to a ratio of 1 part fermented nettle fertilizer to 10 parts water. I recommend starting with a weaker application to see how plants react. If spraying directly on the leaves dilute by at least 20 parts water to 1 part fertilizer and never apply in the full sun. Tip: Do not use tap water.

My latest batch started on January 9th. Looking around the garden, I can’t believe how many nettles we have! They are growing in the veg patch and sprouting in the pots.

Green and Purple Kale

The caterpillars have made the most of my absence and almost stripped the leaves on the last green kale plant and have started on the purple. I need to make a garlic spray to ward off the munching demons.

Carrots and Red Onions

The red onions and carrots continue to grow well and I hope to harvest carrots for Sunday lunch.

Self-Seeded Tomato Plants

Dare I say these look healthy?

Salad Crop – Lettuce and Spinach

The lettuce and spinach plugs planted at the beginning of November have produced a pumper harvest.

Winter Aubergines

The aubergines are a strange browny colour rather than purply-black. I wonder if they are sick?

As you can see, a healthy stinging nettle has made itself at home.

That’s it for my Six on Saturday vegetable roundup for this week.

That’s it for this week, folks. Why not pop over to our gardening SoS host and check out other six on Saturday bloggers